Looking for the very best place to live if you’re over 60? Try Switzerland. That’s the number one country on the Global Age Index, which measures the quality of the lives of older people in four key areas: income; health; education and employment and the enabling environment. Switzerland is closely […]

OK, this is confusing. After years of being told that we should keep our systolic (the top number) blood pressure below 140 (150 for people over 60), a new study sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute suggests that 120 would be a much safer target. National Public Radio reports […]

We all know that an apple a day may keep the doctor away, but now we know that apple peels may prevent older people from losing muscle mass. Researchers at the University of Iowa, mindful a protein that causes muscle loss as we age, have found two natural compounds that […]

Feeling low? Try forgiving the people who have made you angry. Researchers at the University of Missouri have found that people who forgive others have fewer signs of depression, regardless of whether others have forgiven them.  But wait, there’s a catch. The practice only works for women. A U of […]

To sleep, perchance to dream, or perhaps just to ward of another cold. Roni Caryn Rabin, writing in the New York Times, reports that researchers at the University of California, San Francisco are convinced that sleep plays an important role in regulating the immune system, which is our best defense […]

Swimming in open water offers many joys not found in pools, and also a few challenges, like waves. Happily, now comes the Wall Street Journal with three pieces of sound advice about such challenges. WSJ Fitness reporter Jen Murphy consults Sara McLarty, a coach and owner of Swim Like A Pro […]

Calorie restriction, which has been shown to extend the lifespan of animals, has some benefits for humans, but the practice works best if you are an animal, particularly a rat. Researchers at Washington University followed 218 people who reduced their caloric intake by 25 percent for two years. What did […]

It may not be surprising that as more older Americans ride bikes, more older Americans are hurt in bike accidents, but the rise in injuries is sufficient to warrant a report in the Journal of the America Medical Association. JAMA reports that when researchers from the University of California, San […]

The decade-long debate over the best treatment for low-risk prostate cancer continues, with some researchers at John Hopkins med school persuaded that watching and waiting is the way to go for many men with low-risk cancer. Here’s why: just two of 1,298 men enrolled over the past 20 years in an […]

Want to know how to avoid a hangover? Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands have done the research, and they’ve come up with an answer that many people don’t want to hear: drink less. HealthDay reports on the research, which polled 800 Canadian students at more than 800 Dutch students, […]